Crain's Detroit Business back issues from March 2002:
A Bluelight blunder.(Kmart Corp. needs to explain what it is doing)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
Mar 04, 2002 ... We wish we could report that Kmart Corp. has turned around its communications strategy. Seven-figure executive bonuses, corporate perks and other big payouts to executives, consultants and lawyers are business as usual in large corporate bankruptcies. Kmart is no exception. It ...
Crain's List: Livingston County's largest employers.
Mar 04, 2002 ... List of 15: see ...
Good timing; Once perceived as just a marketing ploy, Oakwood's 30-minute guarantee prompts cultural changes that improve bottom line.(Oakwood Healthcare Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Other hospitals smirked when Oakwood Healthcare Inc. rolled out a 30-minute emergency-room guarantee that promised movie tickets to patients if walk-ins weren't seen by a doctor within 30 minutes. Even some staff at Oakwood saw the guarantee as a marketing ploy. But ...
Newcor's suitor helping it through Chapter 11; Plan likely to give co-CEO's other company more control.(EXX Inc. provides financing to Nucor Inc.)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The Las Vegas company that made a hostile takeover bid for automotive molder Newcor Inc. now is providing the financing to keep it operating while in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and also plans to provide the cash to help Newcor re-emerge later this year. Newcor (AMEX: NER) last Monday ...
Week in Review.(various news items)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002 ... Detroit's sale of land in suburbs falls through Detroit's planned $50 million sale of the former Detroit House of Corrections property in Plymouth and Northville townships to Kojaian Management Corp. of Bloomfield Hills and New York City-based Lehman Bros. is off, the Detroit ...
Price-cut demands cut MSX revenue.(MSC International Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Auburn Hills-based MSX International Inc. said last week that its sales fell 9 percent last year and operating income dropped 44 percent because of price cuts demanded by customers. MSX International provides contract engineering labor and services to the automotive and other ...
Certificate of need needed, but rehab it.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002 ... Since 1974, hospitals in Michigan have needed state approval before they could expand. But the federal rules requiring that process have long since been lifted, so pressure is building to repeal or reform Michigan's certificate-of-need laws. Repeal would prove to be a costly ...
How much are people willing to give up?(traveling in United States after September 11)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Make no mistake, traveling around the country and the world is a much bigger challenge than it was a year ago. Anyone who has taken a plane trip or simply tried to head across the border to Windsor realizes just how much more difficult everything has become. A ...
Lason, PricewaterhouseCoopers part ways over old statements.(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Lason Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. have ended a relationship that dates back at least six years, according to a document filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Troy-based document-management and electronic-imaging company has been under ...
Hospitality runs deep in this family.(Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center manager Anthony Stewart-Moore)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... A hotel guest once told Anthony Stewart-Moore that the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center could learn some efficiencies from its counterpart near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Stewart-Moore's response was that he would go home and ask his wife. Stewart-Moore, ...
Semco keeps fire burning for gas.(SEMCO Energy Inc. profits)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Semco Energy Inc. closed a year of corporate change with losses and a shrunken stock price. How the Farmington Hills-based company fares this year rests largely on its main natural-gas business. ``2002 is going to be a big year for Semco,'' said Mike Davis, executive ...
Profits fall from $4B to $10M.(in 2001, mostly in the automotive sector)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Nonautomaker profits for the year dropped to $10 million in 2001 from almost $4 billion in 2000. As daunting as those numbers are, earnings for Southeast Michigan businesses besides the automakers started to climb in the fourth quarter last year. Local economists and analysts ...
Convention bureau aims to create events, build tourism venues.(Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau has increased its emphasis on creating events and pushing for more tourism-related infrastructure. The bureau made recent personnel changes that help with both these long-term goals, said President and CEO Larry Alexander. ...
Aastrom patents stem-cell technology.(Aastrom Biosciences Inc. granted stem cell patent by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Ann Arbor-based Aastrom Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: ASTM) last Wednesday announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the company a patent for technology that enables growing human stem cells in adult bone marrow. The patent extends coverage of Aastrom technology ...
Strong ready to buy in tech sector ; Slow economy sets stage for M&A surge.(financially strong tech firms could start buying up weaker rivals)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
Mar 04, 2002; ... A slow economy coupled with trickling investments have divided owners of tech companies into two groups: those looking to strengthen their already-strong businesses and those just trying to survive. The result will be a surge in technology-company merger and acquisition activity ...
High-stakes high-rise; $125M overhaul of RenCen Marriott unveiled in a soft hotel market.(renovation of Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center nearly complete)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The overhaul of the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center changed the stakes among metro Detroit's high-end hotels. With the $125 million renovation of the Marriott in its final stages, the hotel and its local peers are competing on a more level playing field for business and ...
Michigan Works agencies pool money to get word out.(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Seven Michigan Works agencies in Southeast Michigan hope a new regional advertising campaign shines their program's image so more employers use the free service. Michigan Works' talent bank of 500,000 prospective employees has included the majority of laid-off workers in the ...
Taubman's new malls.(recent and planned mall openings)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002 ... * Dolphin Mall, Miami: 1.4 million-square-foot value center. Opened March 1, 2001. * The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, Texas: 1.5 million-square-foot regional mall. Opened Aug. 3. * The Mall at Wellington Green, Village of Wellington in Palm Beach County, Fla.: 1.3 ...
Don't give away unemployment surplus.(Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund should not be drawn down)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The combination of rising unemployment and a positive balance in Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund have led to calls for increasing jobless benefits to Michigan's unemployed. Organized labor has seized the initiative and is putting pressure on lawmakers to expand benefits and ...
IRS objecting to SES plan to emerge from Chapter 11.(Simplified Employment Services Corporation Inc.)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The fate of Simplified Employment Services Corp. Inc.'s reorganization plan rests in the hands of the Internal Revenue Service, says the company's CEO and its law firm. Auburn Hills-based SES, which processes payroll and manages benefit plans for client companies, filed for ...
People.(includes multiple appointments)
Mar 04, 2002 ... consulting Roxanne Kerr to director of communications, Jay Alix & Associates, Southfield, from marketing and public-relations associate. Also, Leo Whitt to senior associate from senior vice president, mergers and acquisitions, Vartec Telecom, Dallas. Lisa Novy-Satawa ...
Mechanical Dynamics' design pays off in tough times.(Mechanical Dynamics Inc., profit information and management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Ann Arbor-based Mechanical Dynamics Inc. is a virtual prototype of how to foster growth during tough economic times. * The company has no long-term debt and holds 53 percent of the market in functional virtual prototyping. Functional prototyping is the creation of 3-D images ...
Visteon: Supplier bailouts likely to reach $6M or more.(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Visteon Corp.'s new purchasing chief says the cost of propping up troubled suppliers may rise to $6 million or more this year. That would be a 50 percent increase from 2001, when Dearborn-based Visteon (NYSE: VC) spent about $4 million in unusual premium payments to ensure the ...
Bumpy first flight; But Northwest hopes glitches won't last long.(new McNamara terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Chrysler Group employee Pat Presti summed up several passengers' feelings after traveling through the new McNamara terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Nice, but ``needs a little more work,'' he said. Presti, flying to St. Louis on company business, had some ...
Venture-capital firm acquires W. Bloomfield sugar business.(Brantley Partners L.P. buys controlling interest in Total Foods Corp. and renames it Streamline Foods Inc.)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... A Cleveland private-equity firm found a sweet deal for itself with a sugar supplier and broker based in West Bloomfield Township. Brantley Partners L.P. has purchased controlling interest in Total Foods Corp. and renamed the company Streamline Foods Inc. Brantley, a ...
Calendar.
Mar 04, 2002 ... Wednesday march 6 The Michigan Alliance Program. Presented by the International Council of Shopping Centers in cooperation with the International Economic Development Council, the Michigan Downtown and Finance Association and the Michigan Society of Planning. 8 ...
Earnings/Dividends.
Mar 04, 2002 ... table: see ...
Choice program draws customers from DTE, CMS.(DTE Energy Co., CMS Energy Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002 ... Despite the collapse of energy-trading giant Enron Corp., the numbers of people leaving DTE Energy Co. and CMS Energy Corp. edged up in February. A report by the Michigan Public Service Commission shows that as of Feb. 8, 3,338 customers of DTE utility Detroit Edison Co. and ...
Ypsilanti Twp. looks at Michigan-Ecorse revival plan.(hires Market Insite Group to suggest tenant mixture)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... A plan to redevelop the Michigan Avenue and Ecorse Road corridors in Ypsilanti Township recommends 15 stores and restaurants for the area and forecasts $19.5 million in sales for those businesses if built. Ypsilanti Township hired Sausalito, Calif.-based Market Insite Group to ...
No matter who is next guv, MEDC is likely to survive.(Michigan Economic Development Corp.)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Governors often want to put their own stamp on economic-development programs, but Michigan's next governor likely would have a hard time dismantling Gov. John Engler's Michigan Economic Development Corp. And there's no evidence yet that any of the leading candidates would want ...
Correction.
Mar 04, 2002 ... A phone number for Cingular was given incorrectly in a pullout map of the Edward ...
Trade shows waiting for impact on biz post-Sept. 11.(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Upcoming months could be rough for Detroit area trade shows. ``It's the economy,'' said Bob Baumgart, general manager of Hoffend Xposition. ``Times are tough. Trade shows are hurting everywhere, especially in Michigan with the auto industry.'' Detroit-based Hoffend is ...
Business Diary.(various companies, contracts, services, and product information)
Mar 04, 2002 ... acquisitions Kerr Pump and Supply Co.-Compressor Division, Oak Park, has been purchased by Compressor Technologies Inc. of Belmont. A&J Precision Tool Co. Inc., Farmington Hills, has executed a letter of intent to acquire the assets and business of Cohagan Tool Co. ...
Web biz wins deal to keep HAP docs current on treatments.(Erudite Corp., Health Alliance Plan)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Erudite Corp., a 3-year-old maker of Web-based educational tools, has landed a $350,000 contract with Health Alliance Plan to help to keep HAP physicians current on the latest treatment guidelines. By June, Detroit-based Erudite intends to deliver educational programs that HAP ...
Taubman Centers profits up despite bad retail year.(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Last year mall developer Taubman Centers Inc. overcame the daunting task of opening four malls during the worst retail climate in 10 years and still managed to increase earnings and boost its stock price. Taubman Centers (NYSE: TCI) last year opened a mall in Plano, Texas, and ...
Ann Arbor attracting satellite offices of Detroit law firms.(Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss opens office in Ann Arbor, Michigan)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 04, 2002; ... When Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss P.C. opened an Ann Arbor office in January, it joined a half-dozen other large Detroit-based firms represented in the growing Washtenaw County legal community. Jaffe, Raitt established its Ann Arbor office downtown at 301 E. Liberty with Lawrence ...
Rumblings.(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002 ... Chairman's no-show fuels Kmart buzz The decision by Kmart Corp. Chairman Jim Adamson to back out of a planned breakfast with about 20 local and national media representatives last week fueled speculation about what might have caused him to cancel the meeting, including possible ...
This Just In.(Compuware Corp. to sell Detroit, Michigan headquarters;)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002 ... Compuware has 6 bidders for Farmington Hills HQ Six investors have submitted bids for the Farmington Hills building that houses Compuware Corp. as the company finishes construction of its $350 million downtown Detroit headquarters. Compuware spokesman Doug Kuiper ...
Quicken ready to rock; New leaders set $10 billion goal.(Dan Gilbert, Pat McInnis, Bill Emerson)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Livonia-based Quicken Loans Inc. says a change in leadership won't slow its aggressive run to double its business to $10 billion in mortgage closings in four years. The national leader in online mortgages announced in December that its founder, 40-year-old Dan Gilbert, would ...
Letters.
Mar 04, 2002 ... Future work force is crucial Editor: I would like to comment on the Feb. 11 editorial titled ``Give money to hospitals.'' David Seaman, executive vice president of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, has been quoted as saying that the Michigan ...
Tourism officials think Ford Field can help city score.(Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The completion of Ford Field for the Detroit Lions' 2002 season should mean growth for the city's convention business, said Larry Alexander, president of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. ``We have some really great facilities in the region, with Joe Louis Arena, ...
Bill would make public-worker unions open books wider.(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... Backed by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a group of Lansing lawmakers led by Rep. Robert Gosselin, R-Troy, is pushing a bill that could require unions of public employees to disclose more detailed financial information. Unions say the legislation is not needed. Gosselin ...
Bankruptcies.(various filings)(Brief Article)
Mar 04, 2002; ... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of Feb. 19-22. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Air Authority of Michigan Inc., ...
Letters.
Mar 11, 2002 ... Grant Thornton called for reform Editor: We would like point out an omission in Mary Kramer's Feb. 18 column, ``Enron debacle opens doors to regulation.'' She writes, ``Since Enron imploded, none of the major local accounting firms - or national, for that ...
Bankruptcies.(as filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of Feb. 25-Mar. 1. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Stallworth Entertainment Inc., ...
Brokers sold on Re/Max, propelling its growth.(Re/Max Detroit Metro Region )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Broker Angela Batten was looking for more independence and a high-commission arrangement when she decided to join the Re/Max Detroit Metro Region last year. Batten, a broker and owner of Ortonville-based Re/Max Properties Center, which serves northern Oakland County, said she ...
Dove tale; Product manager tries to hatch a small business from his longtime hobby: Training pigeons.(Doves in Flight, Chris Metzloff)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Before traffic chokes I-696 on any summer morning, Chris Metzloff might be found wearing a suit and tie and standing beside a dirt road in Livingston County, squinting skyward at a ribbon of white birds pinwheeling above. As Metzloff watches, his birds disperse and almost always ...
Spike Lee does folksy for Kmart - but still no sale.(Kmart Corp. ads from TBWA/Chiat/Day Inc., Spike Lee)(Brief Article)(Column)
Mar 11, 2002 ... Attention. Attention, Kmart shoppers. Mars Blackmon has left the building. The new campaign from New York City-based TBWA/Chiat/Day for the troubled retailer is directed by the perpetually angry cine auteur Spike Lee, but not so's you'd notice. The ads are pleasant and ...
International enrollment on rise despite Sept. 11.(colleges and universities continue to receive many applications form international students)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Applications from international students are up locally and skyrocketing at some universities despite the Sept. 11 attacks and the subsequent threat of tighter restrictions on student visas. International students are an important source of revenue because they pay higher ...
Cities get downtown to business as work proceeds on projects.(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... The economy doesn't appear to be slowing the evolution of several downtowns in metro Detroit that are looking to draw more businesses, residents and shoppers. Several projects in places such as Wixom, Northville, Royal Oak and Ferndale have started or soon will start to move off ...
4 Rent; Landlords offer free rent, broker incentives to fill offices.
Mar 11, 2002; ... The concept of ``free rent'' might be considered a couple of four-letter words to property owners but is often necessary in today's depressed real estate market. Developers and brokers report that a few months of free rent, discounted improvements to tenant space, extra broker ...
St. Joe-Oakland to redo ER, add single rooms.(St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland in Pontiac is planning to spend $55 million to redo its emergency department and build a replacement tower to increase the number of private rooms it can offer patients. The planned 90-bed replacement tower is consistent with industry trends ...
Business Diary.(multiple topics covered on contracts, awards, new products)
Mar 11, 2002 ... awards Donald Snider, president and CEO, Paper Plas Inc., Detroit, received the Supplier of the Year award in the OnWheels Inc. Urban Wheel Awards. The awards recognize companies that have made significant accomplishments in practicing diversity. BRG Custom Homes, ...
Earnings/Dividends.
Mar 11, 2002 ... table: see ...
Stack up or else...; What's in store if a Domino's franchise can't deliver results? The company will find someone who can.(Domino's Pizza Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Domino's Inc. isn't wasting time shutting down or selling poor performing stores, and the effort is starting to show in the company's bottom line. ``We have been aggressive to not suffer through the trials and tribulations of these poor performers,'' said Tim McIntyre, vice ...
Calendar.
Mar 11, 2002 ... tuesday march 12 Negotiation: Five Ways to Get The Upper Hand Every Time. Meeting of the National Association of Purchasing Management Metro Detroit Chapter. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Ukranian Cultural Center, 26601 Ryan Road, Warren. Speaker: Joe Caruso, Caruso Leadership ...
Hospitals' campaign for tobacco money ready to hit streets; Proposal seeks to amend state Constitution.(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Michigan hospitals and other health care providers have started collecting signatures for a November ballot issue that would require that 90 percent of the state's $300 million annual take in tobacco settlement money be spent on health issues. Today, the biggest portion of the ...
Rumblings.(multiple topics included)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002 ... Kilpatrick's touch keeps Blue Nile from flowing out The owner of the Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant in Greektown, was ready to close up shop in Detroit in favor of the suburbs. He was tired of fighting with the city over parking, and his lease was running out. ...
Michigan Cat prowls into Ohio; Deal would create $600m Caterpillar biz.(Micigan Cat Inc. to acquire Holt Cat)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Michigan Cat Inc., the Wixom-based franchise of Caterpillar Inc., plans to buy Holt Cat, the franchise that serves western Ohio. Jerry Jung, owner of Michigan Cat, and Peter Holt, owner of Holt Co. of Ohio, the holding company for Holt Cat, signed an informal letter of intent ...
Over-regulation? Tell that to DCT workers.(DCT Inc. workers left without insurance)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002 ... Business lobbyists spend entire careers complaining about too much government regulation. Often they are right. But then the legal system fails to protect hundreds of employees and creditors of the auto-tooling giant DCT Inc. in Sterling Heights, which closed without warning Feb. 7. ...
People.(various appointments)
Mar 11, 2002 ... architecture Richard Borrelli, Barry Nebhut and Larry Zimanski to principals, TMP Associates Inc., Bloomfield Hills, from senior associates. Heather Rauch to project manager, Damian Farrell Design Group, Ann Arbor, from project manager, Kava Massih Architects, ...
Week in Review.(various briefs)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 11, 2002 ... Great Lakes Steel parent files for bankruptcy National Steel Corp., the Mishawaka, Ind.-based parent company of Great Lakes Steel, filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition, along with unveiling a deal for up to $450 million in post-petition financing. The company plans to continue ...
Re/Max Detroit Metro.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 11, 2002 ... Number of agents: 1,004. Annual transactions: 19,309. Sales volume: $3.26 billion. Office count: 57. Re/Max offices are ...
Kmart may close more, experts say; Retailer faced off with landlords to win more time.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Before the ink was even dry last week on Kmart Corp.'s announced store closings and job cuts, there was discussion about additional store closings. Bankrupt retailers typically go through more than one phase of store closings, and experts say Troy-based Kmart (NYSE: KM) ...
Kmart's board struggled with Enron, management issues.(Janet Kelley; Willie Davis; Chuck Conaway, Jim Adamson)(Brief Article)
Mar 11, 2002; ... Kmart Corp.'s board of directors was meeting almost daily during the days leading up to the company's bankruptcy filing and didn't make a final decision until the day before the petition was filed. The call was made Jan. 21, said Janet Kelley, Kmart's senior vice president and ...